


Sentinel Genetics

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Challenge: Sentinel Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 01:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7201412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story takes place early in season 1 (right after Siege).  Blair does some detective work of his own to try and find out information about Jim's family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sentinel Genetics

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for Annie's Sentinel Angst Themefic Challenge, "I want to know about Jim's mom. Why did she leave? Where did she go? Has she ever been in touch with Jim and Steven? Does Jim know? Does he find out now? And how does it affect him. Tell us what happened."

Blair Sandburg glanced down at the yellow legal pad on his desk. In the center of the paper he wrote the name Jim Ellison and put a circle around it.

“Jim,” he said the name aloud and then smiled thinking, _“A sentinel, a real honest to goodness, five heightened senses, sentinel.”_

Thanking whatever heavenly deity watched over anthropologists, and Barb, the nurse who had faxed him Jim’s medical records, Blair considered what he knew about Jim since working with him to catch Veronica Saris and Garrett Kincaid.

Right at the top, and Blair assumed of some import, Jim had spent eighteen months in Peru with the Chopec. Picking up his pencil, Blair drew a line out from the circle and wrote Chopec Sentinel and then added a question mark. Blair suspected that the Chopec had helped him use his senses in the jungle. Jim had caught on too quickly to how to use his senses for him not to have used them before. And truthfully, the less westernized cultures would probably still keep oral traditions of sentinels.

Drawing another line, Blair wrote the word family and circled it. From that circle he wrote the word mother. Jim had mentioned his mother to Simon. He added another line out of family with aunt/uncle since Jim had told Simon that Blair was his cousin’s kid, and under it added maternal/paternal and a question mark.

Blair definitely needed to know more about the family since he suspected sentinel genes were hereditary and there might be more sentinels either in the family or in the family’s history.

Getting that information was not going to be easy! Blair had been trying to get Jim to talk about his family, but Jim was, well, reluctant was too mild a word for how Jim had clammed up whenever Blair asked him about his family. Aside from saying his father and mother divorced years ago and he was raised by his father, he said nothing, but Blair could tell there were serious familial problems. He guessed the family problems were on both the maternal and paternal sides of the family.

“Okay,” he muttered. “Where else can I get info on Jim’s family?” He had tried looking up the name Ellison but there were so many in Cascade that he needed more info to get anywhere with that approach. And he wasn’t even sure if Jim’s family was located in Cascade.

Looking at the paper, Blair tapped his pencil on the page. He did know one person who could give him some answers about Jim’s family, Jim’s ex-wife, Carolyn Plummer. “She’d definitely have some information and probably a lot of info on Jim,” Blair muttered. “That is, if she would be willing to talk to me.”

Thinking the idea over, Blair decided he would have to approach her when Jim wasn’t around and make it seem as if he were looking for information for his dissertation on the Cascade PD, not for information about Jim. It could work if he asked about a cop’s life, and since he was traveling with Jim, and “supposedly” was his relative, he could use Jim as the perfect example. She had to know more about Jim than anyone else, they’d been married for two years. And she might not think twice about talking to Jim’s cousin’s kid about family matters.

Smiling at the plan, Blair considered both his and Jim’s calendars. He’d need a good block of time when Jim wouldn’t be in the office. “Perhaps when he was in court, yeah, that would work,” Blair said. Jim was scheduled to testify about some case on Thursday, one from before he had met Blair, so he wouldn’t expect Blair to be there. Maybe, he could invite Carolyn to lunch and get the scoop on Jim then. “I’ll just have to find a way to do it without Jim hearing about it from Carolyn and without dropping the ball that I’m not really his cousin’s kid. Carolyn probably knows more about Jim than anyone else. I could get some good insights for my dissertation.”

Having decided on his course of action, Blair picked up the phone and dialed Cascade’s PD and asked for Carolyn Plummer’s extension.

*** Thursday

Sitting in the small booth of a diner a block and half from the PD, Carolyn eyed the various questionnaires Blair was holding. “What are these?” she asked.

Blair looked up from his papers and gave her a quick smile, glad he had brought these props for the interview. “I’ve been interviewing various people for my dissertation, mostly about how being a cop has affected their relationships. But since we are sitting and talking you won’t need to fill these out.” Blair shoved the papers in his bag and waited until the waitress served their lunch before continuing.

“I know you were married to Jim and I am riding with him, so I wanted your impressions of how being a cop has affected his life and relationships.”

Carolyn nodded and took a sip of coffee before looking over Blair. “You look a bit old to be Jim’s cousin’s kid. I mean Rucker Ellison is only a year older than Jim.”

Blair nodded, noting she knew about a paternal cousin. “I’m actually more of a step cousin,” he improvised.

“Right,” Carolyn answered, picking at her grilled chicken salad. “So, what do you want to know?”

“How has Jim being a cop affected his relationship with you and with his family?”

“I don’t know if his being a cop has affected anything. I think maybe he became a cop because of his personality.”

“His personality?” Blair questioned.

Carolyn nodded. “Jim’s always been something of a loner, out there on his own. I guess that would be expected since he left home at 18. Maybe because of it, he’s closed himself off from people. It makes him a good cop. To quote him, he checks his emotions at the door. It keeps him going at crime scenes but it was a problem in our marriage.” Carolyn sighed and dropped her fork to her plate. “When we were married I could never get him to share his feelings. It was almost as if he had a fear of intimacy.” She glanced at Blair and blushed. “I’m not saying the sex wasn’t good, but with a life partner you want to share more than body heat.”

Blair nodded his understanding. “That would help in his job but it would be hard on relationships,” he said, sympathetically. “But what about his relations with others?” he asked.

“Others? You mean his friends.”

“Yeah, but also his family?”

“His father and mother? There is no relationship there and as far as I can tell there hasn’t been one since he went into the army, so being a cop hasn’t impacted that part of his life. He barely speaks with either parent. I didn’t meet his father until our wedding day and his mother didn’t even come to our wedding. As a matter of fact, the only relation he actually stays in touch with is Rucker. And Rucker is as much a loner as Jim is. He’d have to be living on Storm Island.”

“Why didn’t Jim’s mother come to the wedding? Was it because his father was there?”

Carolyn shrugged. “I have no idea, neither William nor Jim mentioned her absence and I have never met her.”

Blair noted the name William. He had Jim’s father’s name, now if he could only get the mother’s name. “I know I’ve heard it mentioned but I don’t remember it, what’s her last name?”

“Oh, um Margaret something McDonald, I think that was it. I never actually met her. Jim once told me that his father called her Grace, not Margaret or Marge. I asked Jim about that and he said she had been a dancer and supposedly she was very graceful. I guess Jim gets his penchant for nicknames from his father.”

“It seems that way,” Blair agreed.

“As to friends,” Carolyn continued. “He has a bunch of friends in the PD and he does have some old army buddies he keeps in touch with, but I wouldn’t think they’d be affected by his being a cop.”

Thinking over what Jim’s ex had said, Blair decided to see if Jim’s abilities had been online when he was married and asked, “Did being a detective affect how he reacted at home? Did he seem more aware of changes or need a quieter environment when he got in from work?”

“Truth told, neither of us was home much, we both kept long hours.”

Blair smiled as the waitress came to take away their plates. “If you could pick one word to describe Jim what would you use?” he asked as he picked up the check and left a tip at the table.

Carolyn lifting her bag and standing glanced over at Blair. “Uncompromising,” she answered. “It’s probably why our marriage fell apart despite the fact that we still care for each other.”

***Thursday Afternoon

Blair had hoped for more information from Carolyn, but she had given him a starting point for researching Jim’s family and had given him some insight into Jim. He needed to search for a William Ellison who had married Margaret “Something” McDonald and, since he didn’t need to meet Jim, Blair headed to the library to see what he could find out.

Blair knew how old Jim was and so could guess Jim’s parents might have married a year or two before and began searching, finding William Elliott Ellison of Cascade who had married Margaret Mary McDonald formally of Seattle. So, Jim’s father was the business man who created Ellison Enterprises and Margaret Mary McDonald the daughter of a large Seattle lumber supplier whose family had been in business since the 1870s. Jim came from money on both sides of the family!

It didn’t take long for Blair to discover that William Ellison had retired but still lived in Cascade and that Margaret Mary lived in Seattle. Deciding he should start with an interview of Margaret McDonald, Blair hunted for a reason to interview. He couldn’t come out and say, “Your son is a sentinel and I want to know if anyone else in your family is or was.” Especially since Jim wouldn’t even talk about the woman.

“Okay,” he decided as he gathered his things and headed out of the library. “Her family has been in the lumber business for over a century. I could say I am doing research on stories connected to the lumber industry in the northwest.” Smiling at his plan, Blair made his way home and after making a quick meal picked up his phone.

“Ellison,” Jim answered on the second ring.

“Hey Jim,” Blair greeted, cheerfully. “How did court go?”

“Good. The defense attorney couldn’t shake my testimony.”

“Glad to hear it. How are the senses? Any problems?”

“No, they’re fine.”

“Good. I’d like to run a test or two this weekend.”

“This weekend,” Jim repeated and Blair smiled hearing the cautious tone.

“You are off this weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Jim agreed. “I was thinking I’d get some work done around the loft this weekend.”

“Great, I’ll work around that,” Blair agreed. “Listen, I know I was going to come in and help you with some paperwork tomorrow but I’ve got to do some research for the anthro department, so I won’t be able to make it.”

“Not a problem, Sandburg, I do know how to do paperwork.”

“I’ll have my cellphone with me in case you have a problem. And try to stay away from the donuts and Wonderburger.”

“You’re pushing it, Chief,” Jim laughed.

“Okay, I’ll call you Saturday.” Blair hung up the phone and looked up the address of McDonald Lumber in Seattle.

***Friday

The executive building of McDonald Lumber was a large building located above Elliot Bay on Puget Sound, near Magnolia. Parking his Volvo in a visitor space in the parking lot, Blair glanced up at the building, settled his backpack on his shoulder, and quickly reviewed what he would do and say before walking through the glass doors.

Walking to the front desk where a security guard was standing, Blair smiled. “Hello, I have an appointment with Mr. Liam McDonald. My name is Blair Sandburg.”

The guard nodded politely as he glanced down at his visitor’s list, spotting Blair’s name. Handing Blair a visitor’s badge, he indicated the elevators as he picked up the phone to announce Blair’s presence. “You are going to the 4th floor, room 406.”

“Thanks,” Blair took the badge and turned to the elevator.

On the 4th floor, he glanced at door numbers until he reached 406 and then knocking, opened the door. A man was at a conference table and he stood walking over. “Mr. Sandburg, I am Liam McDonald,” he put out his hand.

“Hello, and thank you for seeing me,” Blair answered as Liam McDonald indicated a seat at the table.

“To tell you the truth, I was a bit intrigued when you called and asked about the history of McDonald Lumber. You are doing a report on the history of lumber in Washington State?” Liam asked.

Blair considered the man in front of him. He looked to be in his late thirties with blue eyes and reddish blond hair that spoke of an Irish background. “Yes and no,” Blair obfuscated. “I’m an anthropology student at Rainier and I’m looking at families that got involved in the lumber industry in the Pacific Northwest. I’m trying to determine if there was affinity for nature, almost a genetic compulsion that led families to go into the industry in a wilderness area.”

“You mean like some kind of connection to trees?” Liam asked, dubiously.

“In a manner of speaking,” Blair agreed, hoping he wasn’t shoveling too much bull. “Why wilderness? I have a theory that families that got involved in lumber, out in what was the wilderness north of Seattle, had a connection to nature.” Seeing Liam’s look Blair added, “Some of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest have a tradition of a connection to nature. Sometimes,” Blair added, cautiously, “a need to be away from industrialization.” Seeing Liam’s frown, Blair added, “Loud noises, city smells, bright lights, that kind of thing.”

Liam considered Blair’s words for a moment thoughtfully and then shook his head with a chuckle. “Someone is paying you to do a study on this?”

“It’s actually part of a much larger study on…um…migrations and environmental influences and impact.”

“So, you’re interviewing lumber company families?”

“Well, I’m looking for family histories and why families may have settled in the Pacific Northwest.”

Liam shrugged. “As you can tell by my name, my family has roots in Ireland. As far as I know, my great, great grandfather worked on the railroad and ended up in California and then decided to head north. He fell in love with and married a Chinook woman from one of the tribes up here in the northwest and so decided to start a business here.”

“No one had any complaints about city life and wanted to be closer to nature?”

“No,” Liam answered but then added. “Well, that’s not totally true. An older cousin of mine, Margaret, she doesn’t like all the noise of the city. She was married to a businessman in Cascade, but she ended up divorced because she wanted to live pretty far out in the country where it was quieter and her husband needed to stay in the city. From what I understand, they actually bought a house in quieter part of Cascade but she insisted it was still too noisy. She said she couldn’t stand being in Cascade, so she moved here and then decided here was too noisy and moved further north, into the wilder country.”

“Do city smells or lights bother her?”

“Not that I know of,” Liam shook his head. “But she does have really sensitive hearing. Whenever she comes into Seattle she wears earplugs or she gets migraines.”

“Is there any way I could interview her?”

“I’m afraid not. She’s an older lady and doesn’t like company.”

“So, that’s how your family ended up in lumber?” Blair asked, remembering to stay in character.

“That’s it,” Liam answered rising, “I’m sorry I wasn’t more help.”

“Well, thank you for your time,” Blair answered, offering Liam his hand before heading out.

In the car, Blair wrote a few quick notes and spent the drive back to Cascade considering Jim and his mother. If she had heightened hearing, and that’s the way it seemed, than Jim got his sentinel genes from his mother, or possibly from his great, great Chinook grandmother. “It would make sense,” Blair dictated into a tape recorder on the seat next to him as he drove. “If sentinel genes are recessive and inherited, and I think they’d need to be, else there would be a lot more sentinels around, than Jim would have inherited those genes from generations back. It would also explain why Jim’s parents were divorced in a time when most couples stayed together and why Jim didn’t talk about his mother. It must have seemed, to a very young Jim, that his mother abandoned him when she moved to an isolated region.”

This, of course, was all theory. Blair knew he would have to get Jim to talk about his family and then, maybe, one day, he might get to meet Jim’s mother.

***Saturday

Blair looked over the notes he had scribbled about Jim and smiled. Liam McDonald had called the visit a waste of time but Blair knew better. He had learned quite a bit.

But now it was time to work with Jim. Picking up the phone, he dialed Jim.

“Ellison,” Jim answered.

“Hey Jim, how’s it going?”

“Fine, Sandburg.”

“So, what are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning out the fridge.”

“Great, I can come over and run a few tests while you are doing that.”

“What tests?”

“Some tests on your sense of smell. I bet you can tell me just how rotten some of the foods are.”

“Sandburg, I’m throwing this stuff out because I don’t like the smell.”

“Yeah, okay, I get that,” Blair chuckled. “How about we take a walk by the bay and test your hearing. Afterwards, we could go out for dinner. There’s a seafood place by the bay that’s supposed to be good. That is if you don’t have a date tonight.”

“No, I’m home tonight but I’m surprised you don’t have a date, Romeo?”

“Nah, I’m devoting this weekend to my sentinel,” Blair answered, happily. “And I really am interested in your hearing…”


End file.
